Suzuki Swift Sport 2018 Review

The move to turbocharged induction for the new Suzuki Swift Sport yields just three kilowatts more than the previous model with its naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre engine.

But the new car's party trick is the torque from the 1.4-litre powerplant – 70 more Newton metres, which is nearly half as much again. Added to that, the new Swift Sport – now nearly 100kg lighter – gains from a conventional automatic option with torque converter, rather than a CVT.

Suzuki has brought to market a very competent light hatch that's also a bit racy, and it has achieved this for no more than a $1000 premium over the old model.

The 2018 Suzuki Swift Sport is undeniably improved by more than that price premium suggests too, but the problem is that some of its competitors are pretty close to the Swift Sport for price – while also offering more performance.

While priced $4000 less than the Peugeot 208 GTi, the Suzuki Swift Sport is also 50kW and 70Nm adrift of the Frenchy. And despite Suzuki cutting 100kg out of its kerb mass, the Sport version's power-to-weight ratio is just 109W/kg, versus 135W/kg for the Pug.

Yet the Suzuki Swift Sport never feels like it's short of performance. Far from it. Its turbocharged 1.4-litre powerplant is an amazingly torquey engine that pulls away from a standing start in second gear without riding the clutch to any great degree.

With cruise control engaged the Suzuki also holds fifth gear at 80km/h on a steep hill without chugging. That's a function of turbocharging an undersquare engine – one with longer stroke and narrower bore.

Also helping torque and power delivery are low gearing and close ratios. At 100km/h the engine is running at around 2700rpm in sixth gear. Despite its abundant torque, the Swift runs right up to the redline, supplying linear acceleration the whole way – which was the case with both the manual and automatic variants we drove over a period of two weeks.

While the gruff exhaust note is fun at any point in the rev range, the Swift Sport is somewhat noisy at cruising speeds, due to all the usual suspects – powertrain, wind and particularly tyre/road roar. And over bumps the soft fixtures in the cabin rub together, generating further noise.

Yet the engine itself is quite smooth across the rev range, and hauls from 1500rpm on moderate inclines without evidence of labouring. Be aware, however, the engine tags the rev limiter before the tacho needle reaches 6000rpm, let alone the redline at 6200rpm.

The Swift Sport is also quite frugal – we saw 7.6L/100km for both manual and automatic versions.

The manual gearbox and clutch are nearly an ideal match for the engine and its power delivery – and much improved from the previous generation of Swift Sport. Gone is the rubbery feel when shifting, although the Swift Sport retains reasonably long throws. The shift action, like that of the earlier model, is light, but now more precise and easier to slot into whichever gear is required.

There are no flat spots in the engine's torque curve and the clutch has a broad take-up band that's not too high above the floor... again, an improvement on the older car. In short, the new Swift Sport is super easy to drive in quieter moments around town.

When it comes to the not-so-quiet moments, however, the Swift Sport is equally capable. In corners, it exhibits neutral handling and great grip, thanks to the Swift's wheel-in-each-corner stance and the 45-series Continental tyres on the 17-inch alloys.

There's reasonable steering feel (although not on the same level as the Fiesta ST we tested for Australia's Best Driver's Car in 2015, and not as good as I recall for the previous model). On centre, the Swift ultimately lacks precision and needs frequent correction to track true, but it’s fine committing to a corner.

Reining in the Suzuki's strong performance is a well-tuned traction control system that keeps the power up without inducing nasty handling traits on the exit from tight corners. At night the headlights are great, casting a bright, white beam far ahead of the car, even on low beam. And the brakes pull up the Swift nice and softly around town.

What's great about light hatches with a performance edge – and the Suzuki is no exception – is how well they cope with daily-driving duties. Everything about the Swift Sport makes it simple to operate for inexperienced drivers, whether it's the cruise control, the infotainment system or the indicator stalk (on the right of the steering column).

The instruments are easy to read and the information display between the two major dials can scroll through power/torque animations, fuel consumption, an old-fashioned analogue clock and a g-force sensor.

Some of my colleagues uttered unkind comments about the Suzuki's lack of a centre armrest, its hard trim materials and an interior design that one tester described as "the 1980s revisited". But you can live with that, because the seats are fantastic – with side bolstering that holds the occupant securely in place in high-g cornering, but with enough yield to be comfortable on longer journeys. About the only gripe from me is that the seat base itself felt a little narrow.

The Swift is surprisingly roomy in the rear, although the headlining does come close to the head just over the door. Other than that, the Swift is highly accessible and the doors close securely and quietly, with little effort. Unfortunately, there are no adjustable vents for the rear-seat occupants.

For such a small car, the Swift Sport offers very handy luggage capacity, with a boot that will take a week's worth of groceries for a family of four – without piling bags on top of bags.

All of which makes the Swift Sport a truly enjoyable little hatch offering genuine practicality. Your blue-singleted types might feel undignified behind the wheel, but for everyone else the Swift Sport is a gem.

2018 Suzuki Swift Sport pricing and specifications:
Price: $28,890 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 103kW/230Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 6.1L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 141g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP)